1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to image processing based on a downloaded color look-up table (cLUT) or screen pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
A user of a typical image forming apparatus can express a desired color tint and gradation by downloading a new cLUT or screen pattern via a network, a USB interface, or the like.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a customer service center of a dealer of a color printer, which has received a user's request to adjust a color tint, may request an engineer in charge in a printer manufacturer to create a custom cLUT (S1).
In this case, the engineer in charge distributes a plurality of trial-version cLUTs (ColorTable_TEST1 to ColorTable_TEST3) (S2). The customer service center of the dealer selects one of the trial-version cLUTs (S3). The customer service center of the dealer further delivers the selected trial-version cLUT to a service person or delivers the plurality of trial-version cLUTs to the service person (S4). Since there are often several prepared cLUTs that exhibit similar color tints, the plurality of trial version cLUTS are provided, so that the user himself/herself can select the intended one.
The service person who has received the trial-version cLUTs visits the user, downloads the trial-version cLUTs, and outputs the respective print results. The user references those print results to thereby select one of the cLUTs. In general, the selected cLUT is introduced as a full-version cLUT after being tried out by the user for a fixed period.
Incidentally, the existing cLUT may need to be revised after that by the user's request or for another reason. In that case, a technical department prepares a new cLUT corresponding to the existing cLUT. However, the trial-version cLUT requires much time and labor for management thereof and tends to cause an error in the management because the trial-version cLUT is individually prepared every time the user makes a request.
Therefore, in some cases, the technical department is not able to grasp which of the trial-version cLUTs has been introduced as the full-version cLUT. As a result, it must prepare respectively new cLUTs corresponding to all of trial-version cLUTS, ColorTable_TEST1 to ColorTable_TEST3.